Integrated infusion pump and container

ABSTRACT

An integrated pump module is disclosed that includes a rigid housing having a fluid outlet, a fluid reservoir within the housing, and a pumping segment coupled between the fluid reservoir and the fluid outlet. The pumping segment is configured to cause fluid to flow from the fluid reservoir to the fluid outlet.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods ofdelivering medical fluid to patients, and, in particular, relates toinfusion pumps.

2. Description of the Related Art

Infusion pumps have become commonplace within the healthcare world as away to precisely administer intravenous (IV) fluids. Use of a pump inplace of an elevated fluid container with a simple roller clamp tocontrol the flow of the IV fluid allows more accurate and consistentcontrol of the rate of delivery of the fluid to the patient.

The assembly of tubing, valves, fittings, and needles that connect thefluid container to the patient may be referred to as an “IV set.” IVsets are typically disposable to reduce the risk of infection andcontamination. When used with an infusion pump, the IV set includes asegment intended to be manipulated by the pump to cause the fluid toflow at a controlled rate. For a peristaltic type of pump, this segmentmay be as simple as a length of tubing that is fitted into the pumpingcompartment. A patient 10 receiving an infusion of medical fluid from afluid container 14 delivered by a typical IV pump system 12 using an IVset 18 is shown in FIG. 1. A typical IV set 18 is depicted in FIG. 2 anddescribed in more detail in a later section.

One of the challenges of the system depicted in FIG. 1 is that the IVset 18 is manually attached to the fluid container 14 and coupled to apumping module 20 of IV pump 12 and then the pumping module 20 isprogrammed through the central control unit 16. It can be seen that theinfusion pump 12 in FIG. 1 has three pumping modules 20A, 20B, 20Cattached, and some IV pumps may have four or more pumping modules 20.There is therefore a risk that the nurse selects the incorrect pumpingmodule 20 to program through the central control unit 16, resulting inthe medical fluid being delivered at an incorrect rate.

SUMMARY

In order to reduce the risk of an error being made in associating amedical fluid of container with a pumping module to which an IV set hasbeen coupled, it is advantageous to provide an integrated fluidcontainer and pumping module. The disclosed method and system disclose asecure integrated fluid container and pumping cassette for use with acompatible IV pump and a filling station for filling the integrated pumpmodule.

An integrated pump module is disclosed that includes a rigid housinghaving a fluid outlet, a fluid reservoir, and a pumping segment coupledbetween the fluid reservoir and the fluid outlet. The pumping segment isconfigured to cause fluid to flow from the fluid reservoir to the fluidoutlet.

A filling station is disclosed that includes a docking locationconfigured to receive an IV pump module having a fluid reservoir and aninformation element. The filling station also includes a fillingconnection configured to fluidically couple to the fluid reservoir, atleast one inlet connection configured to accept a medical fluid from asource, and a pumping segment coupled to the source of medical fluid andthe filling connection. The pumping segment is configured to transfer aselected amount of fluid from the source to the fluid reservoir. Thefilling station also includes a programming module that is configured toassociate information with the information element, wherein theinformation comprises at least one of the set of a drug identifier, apatient identifier, and a pumping parameter.

A method of delivering a medical fluid to a patient is disclosed, themethod comprising the step of placing an integrated pump module having afluid reservoir and a memory in a docking location of a filling stationhaving an inlet connection and a filling connection, wherein the fluidreservoir is fluidically coupled to the filling connection when theintegrated pump module is docked. The method also includes pumping aselected amount of medical fluid from a source into the fluid reservoir,removing the integrated pump module from the filling station; couplingthe integrated pump module to an IV pump that is configured to acceptthe Integrated pump module; and activating the IV pump to deliver themedical fluid from the fluid reservoir to the patient.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide furtherunderstanding and are incorporated in and constitute a part of thisspecification, illustrate disclosed embodiments and together with thedescription serve to explain the principles of the disclosedembodiments. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 depicts a patient receiving an infusion of a medical fluid usingan IV pump in accordance with the prior art.

FIG. 2 depicts an example IV set in accordance with the prior art.

FIGS. 3-4 depict an exemplary integrated pump module according tocertain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary IV pump configured to utilize integratedpump modules according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 6 depicts another embodiment of an integrated pump module accordingto certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an IV pump and an integrated pump moduleaccording to certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 8 is block diagram of another embodiment of an IV pump and anintegrated pump module according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary filling station and anintegrated pump module according to certain aspects of this disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method of delivering amedical fluid to a patient according to certain aspects of thisdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosed methods and system provide an integrated pump module thatis used with a compatible IV pump. The integrated pump moduleincorporates a fluid reservoir and a pumping segment within a rigidhousing, and also includes an information element that providesinformation, or a link to information that is stored elsewhere, that mayinclude identification of the medication, identification of the patientfor whom the medication is intended, operating parameters for the IVpump, and other data related to the contents or use of the integratedpump module.

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It willbe apparent, however, to one ordinarily skilled in the art thatembodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without some ofthe specific details. In other instances, well-known structures andtechniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure thedisclosure.

The methods and systems disclosed herein are presented in terms of anintravenous administration of a medication to a patient in a healthcareenvironment. It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat the same systems and methods may be employed to deliver fluids inother environments and for other products. Nothing in this disclosureshould be interpreted, unless specifically stated as such, to limit theapplication of any method or system disclosed herein to any specificenvironment or purpose.

FIG. 1 depicts a patient 10 receiving an infusion of a medical fluidusing an IV pump 12. In this example, the IV pump 12 includes a controlmodule 16 and three pumping modules 20A, 20B, and 20C. In the situationdepicted in FIG. 1, the patient 10 is receiving two medical fluids fromcontainers 14A and 14B. IV set 18A is connected to container 14A andpasses through pumping module 20B to connect to Y-coupling 22 which isthen connected to a needleless coupling 6 that is connected to aninfusion device 26 such as an IV cannula. A second IV set 18B isconnected to container 14B and passes through pumping module 20C toconnect to the same Y-coupling 22. It can be seen that IV set 18B loopsdown and around the IV pump 12 and the lines of IV sets 18A and 18B caneasily be confused. It is possible that the caregiver might place IV set18B, which is intended to pass through pumping module 20C, into pumpingmodule 20B due the confusion of lines. If this error occurs. the medicalfluid from container 14B will be administered at the rate intended forthe medical fluid from container 14A.

FIG. 2 depicts an example IV set 18. This example IV set 18 includes abag spike 2 that is configured to connect to a fluid container such asfluid container 14 of FIG. 1. The bag spike 2 is connected throughtubing 4 to a pumping segment 8 that is then connected throughadditional tubing 4 to a fitting 6. In this example, fitting 6 is aneedleless Luer connector suitable for connection to a patient infusiondevice (not shown) such as an intravenous needle, as one example.Pumping segment 8 is, in this example, a section of tubing suitable forperistaltic manipulation to cause fluid to flow through the tubing andincludes two alignment fittings that facilitate proper placement of thepumping segment 8 in the pumping module 20. IV set 18 also includes aclamp 9 that can be closed to stop flow through the tubing 4. In certainembodiments, the IV set includes a Y-coupling 22. In certainembodiments, the IV set includes a needleless access port 24.

FIGS. 3-4 depict an exemplary integrated pump module according tocertain aspects of this disclosure. The integrated pump module 30comprises a rigid housing 32 that contains a fluid reservoir 34 and apumping segment 36. The fluid reservoir 34 is coupled to the pumpingsegment 36 and to the IV tube 44. When pumping module 30 is coupled to acompatible IV pump 50, such as shown in FIG. 5, there is no potentialfor an incorrect association of the fluid container 14 with the pumpingmodule 20 of FIG. 1.

The exemplary pumping module 30 of FIG. 3 includes a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag 42A that is one embodiment of an informationelement 42 that provides information associated with this integratedpump module 30. In the example of FIG. 3, RFID tag 42A contains awriteable memory (not shown separately) in which is stored informationrelated to the prescription used to prepare this integrated pump module,the medication contained in the integrated pump module 30, the patient10 for whom the medication is intended, and the operating parameters forthe IV pump 50 for administration of the medication. In certainembodiments, the memory of RFID tag 42A contains other or additionalinformation related to one or more of the integrated pump module 30, thecontents of the integrated pump module 30, the patient 10, or thepreparation of the integrated pump module 30, such as a lot number orexpiration date of the medication. In certain embodiments, the RFID tag42A contains only a locally unique serial number, which may be referredto as its “license plate,” wherein the information listed above isstored in a database and associated with this same serial number. Inthese embodiments, the IV pump 50 reads the serial number from the RFIDtag 42A and then accesses the database to retrieve the informationstored therein that is associated with that serial number.

In certain embodiments, the information element 42 is a barcode label42B, such as shown in FIG. 4, with a locally unique serial number,wherein this same serial number is associated with a data record in aconnected database. The IV pump 50 scans the barcode label 42B, decodesthe serial number, and then transmits the serial number to the databaseand retrieves the data record containing information about thisintegrated pump module 30. In certain embodiments, the informationelement 42 is a 2D coded matrix (not shown). In certain embodiments, theinformation element 42 contains enough information to eliminate the needto look up additional information in a database. In certain embodiments,information element 42 is a re-writable memory device (not shown)coupled to a connector that mates with the IV pump 50 when theintegrated pump module 30 is docked with the IV pump 50. When docked,the IV pump 50 retrieves information from the memory device 42.

The exemplary pumping module 30 of FIG. 3 also includes an air-in-linesensor 38 and a pressure sensor 40. The air-in-line sensor 38 detectsair bubbles in the output of pumping segment 36, thus enabling the IVpump 50 to stop pumping rather than inject the air bubbles into thebloodstream of the patient 10. With a collapsible fluid reservoir 34,however, there is no source of external air available and theair-in-line sensor 38 is omitted in certain embodiments. The pressuresensor 40 is configured to measure the pressure in IV tube 44 andthereby detect complete or partial occlusions in the IV tube 44, thusenabling the IV pump 50 to issue an alarm when an occlusion occurs.

FIG. 3 depicts a pumping module 30 with a maximum amount of medicalfluid in the fluid reservoir 34, wherein it can be seen that the sidesof the fluid reservoir 34 are, in this example, corrugated such that thetop surface of the fluid reservoir 34 moves linearly as the volume offluid in the fluid reservoir 34 changes. With the maximum amount ofmedical fluid in the fluid reservoir 34, the top of the fluid reservoir34 is, in this example, adjacent to the top of the rigid housing 32. Apumping segment 36 is configured to couple to the pumping segment of acompatible IV pump 50 of FIG. 5 (not shown in FIG. 3), wherein thepumping segment manipulates the pumping segment 36 to cause fluid flowfrom the fluid reservoir 34 through outlet 41 into IV tube 44. Pumpingsegment 36 is similar in function to the pumping segment 8 of the IV set18 shown in FIG. 2.

The rigid housing 32 provides secure storage of the medication that iscontained in fluid reservoir 34. In certain embodiments, once theintegrated pump module 30 is filled in the pharmacy, as is describedlater relative to FIGS. 8 and 9, contents of the fluid reservoir 34 arenot accessible except through use of the IV pump 50. This enables theuse of integrated pump modules 30 to transport and administer controlledsubstances such as pain medications in compliance with certain federal,state, and local regulations.

FIG. 4 depicts a pumping module 30 similar to that shown in FIG. 3,wherein the information element 42 is a RFID tag 42A in FIG. 3 and abarcode label 42B in FIG. 4. In certain embodiments, the barcode label42B is located on other surfaces of the integrated pumping module 30,such as a surface that would face the IV pump 50 when the integratedpumping module 30 is docked as shown in FIG. 5. Furthermore, FIG. 4depicts a pumping module 30 after a portion of the fluid from the fluidreservoir 34 has been delivered to the patient 10. It can be seen thatthe fluid reservoir 34 has collapsed such that the top of the fluidreservoir 34 has moved from its initial position shown in FIG. 3 to asecond position shown in FIG. 4. The collapsible nature of the fluidreservoir 34 provides the dual benefits of preventing air from cominginto contact with the medical fluid contained in fluid reservoir 34 andproviding an easily measured external indicator of the amount of fluidremaining in fluid reservoir 34. In certain embodiments, a flexible bagor elastomeric balloon is provided in place of the corrugatedcollapsible fluid reservoir 34.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary IV pump 50 configured to utilize integratedpump modules 30 according to certain aspects of this disclosure. Thisexample IV pump 50 includes four docking stations 48, designated 48Athrough 48D to indicate a specific docking station, each docking stationable to accept an integrated pump module 30. FIG. 5 depicts integratedpump modules 30A and 30D docked in docking stations 48A and 48D,respectively. An integrated pump module 30B is about to dock in dockingstation 48B, while docking station 48C is empty. This example IV pump 50includes a display screen 52 and a data input device 56 that is, in thisexample, a keypad and a series of configurable buttons adjacent todisplay screen 52. Other types of input and output devices will beapparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing fromthe scope of the claims. In certain embodiments, the docking stations 48are contained in a docking module (not shown) that is separate from theinput and output interfaces 56 and 52. In certain embodiments, the inputand output interfaces 56 and 52 are provided by a separate computer (notshown).

The integrated pump modules 30 mechanically attach to the body of IVpump 50 in the docking stations 48 with a mechanism (not shown) thatboth locates each integrated pump module 30 such that an electricalconnection is established between the processor of the IV pump 50 andthe electronics that are a part of the pumping segment of the integratedpump module 30. In certain embodiments, this mechanical attachment isaccomplished with tabs (not shown) on the body of the integrated pumpmodule 30 that slide into matching rails (not shown) on the body of theIV pump 50. In certain embodiments, the mechanical attachment isaccomplished with one or more mating snap-fit features (not shown) onthe integrated pump module 30 and IV pump 50. In certain embodiments,the integrated pump module 30 is held to the IV pump 50 by a magneticelement (not shown), wherein the magnetic element may be on either theintegrated pump module 30 or the IV pump 50, and the other of the twomay have a second magnetic element or a magnetically attracted element,such as a steel plate. Other forms of detachable coupling of componentsare known to those of ordinary skill in the art and may be used toattach the integrated pump module 30 to the IV pump 50.

In certain embodiments, the integrated pump modules 30 electricallyconnects to the IV pump 50 through a electrical connector, wherein themating halves of the connector (not shown) are aligned and connected by(he mechanical attachment provisions described above. In certainembodiments, communication between the processor of the IV pump 50 andthe electronics that are a part of the pumping segment of the integratedpump module 30 is established through a wireless link (not shown). Incertain embodiments, power is transferred wirelessly (not shown) betweenthe IV pump 50 and the integrated pump module 30.

FIG. 6 depicts another embodiment of an integrated pump module 70according to certain aspects of this disclosure. In this example, afluid container 14 is permanently attached through a line 74 to a pumpmodule 70 that includes a manual flow control 72 in place of an internalfluid reservoir 34. Pump module 70 includes the same pumping segment 36and air-in-line sensor 38 and pressure sensor 40 as integrated pumpmodule 30. Use of a pump module 70 in conjunction with a fluid container14 enables the provision of a larger quantity of fluid than is possiblewith an internal fluid reservoir 34 in an integrated pump module 30.Attachment of the fluid container 14 to pump module 70 may beaccomplished, for example, in the pharmacy and then the coupled fluidcontainer 14 and pump module 70 transported to the patient 10. Thepermanent attachment of the fluid container 14 to the pump module 70thereby creates a permanent association between the two, analogous tothe embodiment of the integrated pump module 30 of FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an IV pump 50 and an integrated pump module30 according to certain aspects of this disclosure. The integrated pumpmodule 30 is the same unit shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the IV pump 50 isas shown in FIG. 5. The integrated pump module 30 comprises aninformation element 42, a fluid reservoir 34 that is coupled to apumping segment 36, wherein pumping segment 36 is then coupled to the IVtube 44 that would, when in use, connect to the patient 10. Thisexemplary integrated pump module 30 also includes an air-in-line sensor38 and a pressure sensor 40 that are coupled to IV tube 44.

The IV pump 50 comprises a processor 56, a memory 58, an intrapumpcommunication module 60, a display 52, a pump actuator 54, and an inputdevice 56. The IV pump 50 also comprises a network communication module62 that is coupled over a network 64 to an external system 99 that ispresented as a “cloud.” External system 99 may include one or more ofAdmission/Discharge/Transfer (ADT) systems, Medication AdministrationRecord (MAR) systems, pharmacy systems, and other computerizedinformation handling systems running on local computers, local servers,or hosted on remote computers provided by third-party service providers.In certain embodiments, network 64 includes a wireless link to a localnetwork hub (not shown). In certain embodiments, network 64 includes ahard-wired network connection to external system 99. The processor 56 iscoupled to the other elements of IV pump 50, in this example, through anetwork 69. In certain embodiments, one or more elements of network 69are replaced by direct connections such as a serial RS-232 line or adirect parallel bus.

The intrapump communication module 60, in this example, comprises a RFIDreader (not shown separately) that reads the RFID tags 42A of theintegrated pump module 30, wherein the electromagnetic field created bythe RFID reader is shown as wireless link 66. In certain embodiments,the intrapump communication module 60 comprises an optical scanner orimager (not shown separately) configured to read barcodes 42B or 2D datatags and link 66 is the optical link of the scanner to the barcode. Incertain embodiments, the informational element 42 is a memory device(not shown separately) and link 66 is a hard wired connection to thememory device.

The pump actuator 54 is mechanically coupled to the pumping segment 36of the integrated pumping module 30 when the integrated pumping module30 is docked to the IV pump 50.

FIG. 8 is block diagram of another embodiment of an IV pump 50 and anintegrated pump module 30 according to certain aspects of thisdisclosure. In this embodiment, a container 14 of medical fluid ispermanently connected to the fluid reservoir 34 through an IV set 18B.This provides a larger quantity of medical fluid while ensuring that thecontainer 14 is associated with the correct integrated pumping module30.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an exemplary filling station 100 and anintegrated pump module 30 according to certain aspects of thisdisclosure. The filling station 100, in this example, is located in thepharmacy of a hospital wherein prescribed medical fluids are loaded intointegrated pump modules 30 that are initially empty. The external system99 shown in FIG. 9 includes a database in which are stored prescriptionsfor patients in the hospital, wherein a single patient may have morethan one prescription. The filling station 100 comprises a processor104, a memory 106, a network communication module 102, a programmingmodule 110, pumping segment 108, a display 112, and input device 114.The processor 104 downloads prescriptions through network 64 and networkcommunication module 102 from an external system 99. Each prescriptioncontains a specification for the amount and type of medications andmedical fluids to be provided to a specific patient. When a prescriptionis selected to be filled, the pumping segment 36 causes the pumpingsegment 36, for example by running in reverse, to draws fluid from oneor more sources, such as an IV bag 109A and a syringe 109B, according tothe selected prescription through fill line 68 that, in this embodiment,is attached to the outlet of the pumping module 30. The programmingmodule 110, in this example, stores information related to theprescription, such the prescription identifier, the patient, themedication or medical fluid, and an expiration date, in the informationelement 42. In certain embodiments, where the information element 42 isa pre-printed barcode label, the programming module 110 scans thebarcode of information element 42 and then sends the information alongwith the decoded identification number from information element 42through network module 102 to a database in the external system 99. Incertain embodiments, integrated pump modules 30 are filled with standardmedications or medical fluids that are not associated with prescriptionsfor specific patients.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method of delivering amedical fluid to a patient 10 according to certain aspects of thisdisclosure. The method starts in step 105 by placing an empty integratedpump module 30 in the filling station 100 in the pharmacy. Step 110provides for selecting the prescription to be filled. This selection mayinclude reviewing a list of prescriptions contained in a database,selection of one of the prescriptions for filling, and then downloadingthe selected prescription from the database to the filling station 100.Once the prescription is downloaded, the prescribed amounts ofmedications and medical fluids are transferred in step 115 into thefluid reservoir 34 of the integrated pump module 30. In step 120,information associated with this prescription is stored in theinformation element 42 of the integrated pump module 30. In certainembodiments, the storage process consists of reading the identifierstored in the information element 42 of the integrated pump module 30and then sending the information that is to be stored along with thedecoded identification number from information element 42 throughnetwork module 102 to the database in the cloud 99. Once the fluidreservoir is filled with the prescribed amount of medication and theinformation is stored in the memory of the integrated pump module 30,the integrated pump module 30 is removed from the filling station instep 125 and transported to the patient where the integrated pump module30 is coupled to an IV pump 50. In step 130, the nurse scans the patientID, for example, from a wristband worn by the patient 10. The IV pump 50compares this scanned patient identification to the patientidentification information contained in the information element 42 ofthe integrated pump module 30. If the two patient identifications match,the IV pump 50 utilizes the configuration information contained in theinformation element 42 of the integrated pump module 30 to configure theIV pump 50 to deliver the fluid at the appropriate rate. In step 145,the nurse activates IV pump 50 and begins deliver of medical fluid tothe patient 10. This delivery of fluid continues in step 145 until theend of treatment, thereby ending this method.

In summary, the disclosed method and system of providing a medical fluidto a patient includes an integrated pump module that contains both themedical fluid and the pumping segment that couples to an IV pump,thereby ensuring the correct association of the medical fluid with thepumping segment of the IV pump. The integrated pump module also includesan information element that contains information identifying one or moreattributes that may include identification of the patient for whom themedication is intended, the identification of the medication in theintegrated pump module, the operating parameters for the IV pump toadminister the medication at the prescribed rate, or an expiration datefor the medication contained in the integrated pump module. Thisinformation may be downloaded directly by the IV pump from theinformation element, further automating the configuration of the IV pumpand ensuring that this medication is properly administered to thepatient. A filling station is also disclosed such that the integratedpump modules may be filled in the pharmacy with one or more medicationsaccording to standard treatment protocols or patient specificprescriptions and then transported to the patient.

The previous description is provided to enable a person of ordinaryskill in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Whilethe foregoing has described what are considered to be the best modeand/or other examples, it is understood that various modifications tothese aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, andthe generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects.Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shownherein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with thelanguage claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is notintended to mean “one and only one” unless specifically so stated, butrather “one or more.” Unless specifically stated otherwise, the terms “aset” and “some” refer to one or more. Pronouns in the masculine (e.g.,his) include the feminine and neuter gender (e.g., her and its) and viceversa. Headings and subheadings, if any, are used for convenience onlyand do not limit the invention.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in theprocesses disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Basedupon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order orhierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Some of the stepsmay be performed simultaneously. The accompanying method claims presentelements of the various steps in a sample order, and are not meant to belimited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

Terms such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “rear” and the like as used inthis disclosure should be understood as referring to an arbitrary frameof reference, rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame ofreference. Thus, a top surface, a bottom surface, a front surface, and arear surface may extend upwardly, downwardly, diagonally, orhorizontally in a gravitational frame of reference.

A phrase such as an “aspect” does not imply that such aspect isessential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to allconfigurations of the subject technology. A disclosure relating to anaspect may apply to all configurations, or one or more configurations. Aphrase such as an aspect may refer to one or more aspects and viceversa. A phrase such as an “embodiment” does not imply that suchembodiment is essential to the subject technology or that suchembodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology. Adisclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments, orone or more embodiments. A phrase such an embodiment may refer to one ormore embodiments and vice versa.

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example orillustration.” Any aspect or design described herein as “exemplary” isnot necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over otheraspects or designs.

All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the variousaspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or latercome to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expresslyincorporated herein by reference and are intended to be encompassed bythe claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to bededicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure isexplicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construedunder the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, sixth paragraph, unless theelement is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in thecase of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “stepfor.” Furthermore, to the extent that the term “include,” “have,” or thelike is used in the description or the claims, such term is intended tobe inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprise” as “comprise” isinterpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.

1. An integrated pump module comprising: a rigid housing; a fluid outletcoupled to the rigid housing; a fluid reservoir within the rigidhousing; and a pumping segment coupled between the fluid reservoir andthe fluid outlet, the pumping segment configured to cause fluid to flowfrom the fluid reservoir to the fluid outlet.
 2. The integrated pumpmodule of claim 1, further comprising an information element coupled tothe housing, the information element comprising at least one of the setof an integrated pump module identifier, a drug identifier, a patientidentifier, and a pumping parameter.
 3. The integrated pump module ofclaim 2, wherein the fluid reservoir contains a quantity of a medicalfluid and the information element comprises at least a drug identifier.4. The integrated pump module of claim 3, wherein the informationelement comprises all of the information required to administer themedication.
 5. The integrated pump module of claim 2, wherein theinformation element comprises an optically scannable image.
 6. Theintegrated pump module of claim 2, wherein the information elementcomprises a writable memory.
 7. The integrated pump module of claim 2,wherein the information element comprises a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag.
 8. The integrated pump module of claim 1,wherein the fluid reservoir is collapsible such that air does not enterthe fluid reservoir as fluid is pumped out of the fluid reservoir. 9.The integrated pump module of claim 8, wherein: the fluid reservoir hasa top, a bottom, and sides; the sides are configured such that the topmoves from a first position associated with having a maximum amount offluid in fluid reservoir towards the bottom to a second positionassociated with having a minimum amount of fluid contained in the fluidreservoir as fluid is pumped out of the fluid reservoir; and the IV pumpmodule further comprises a sensor that detects a current position of thetop as the top moves from the first position toward the second position.10. The integrated pump module of claim 1, further comprising anair-in-line detector.
 11. The integrated pump module of claim 1, furthercomprising a pressure sensor.
 12. A pump system comprising: anintegrated pump module comprising: a rigid housing; a fluid outletcoupled to the rigid housing; a fluid reservoir within the rigidhousing; and a pumping segment coupled between the fluid reservoir andthe fluid outlet, the pumping segment configured to cause fluid to flowfrom the fluid reservoir to the fluid outlet; and a pump comprising: amemory configured to store data and instructions; a processor coupled tothe memory, the processor configured to retrieve the instructions anddata and operate the pump system in accordance with the instructions;and one or more docking stations configured to accept the integratedpumping module, wherein a docked integrated pump module is coupled tothe processor such that the processor can operate the pumping segment.13. The integrated pump module of claim 12, further comprising aninformation element coupled to the housing, the information elementcomprising at least one of the set of an integrated pump moduleidentifier, a drug identifier, a patient identifier, and a pumpingparameter.
 14. The integrated pump module of claim 13, wherein theinformation element comprises an optically scannable image.
 15. Theintegrated pump module of claim 13, wherein the information elementcomprises a writable memory.
 16. The integrated pump module of claim 13,wherein the information element comprises a Radio FrequencyIdentification (RFID) tag.
 17. The integrated pump module of claim 12,wherein the fluid reservoir is collapsible such that air does not enterthe fluid reservoir as fluid is pumped out of the fluid reservoir. 18.The integrated pump module of claim 17, wherein: the fluid reservoir hasa top, a bottom, and sides; the sides are configured such that the topmoves from a first position associated with having a maximum amount offluid in fluid reservoir towards the bottom to a second positionassociated with having a minimum amount of fluid contained in the fluidreservoir as fluid is pumped out of the fluid reservoir; and the IV pumpmodule further comprises a sensor that detects a current position of thetop as the top moves from the first position toward the second position.19. The integrated pump module of claim 12, further comprising anair-in-line detector.
 20. The integrated pump module of claim 12,further comprising a pressure sensor.
 21. A filling station comprising:a docking location configured to receive an integrated pump modulehaving a fluid reservoir, a pumping segment, a fluid outlet, and aninformation element; a pumping mechanism configured to couple to thepumping segment when the integrated pumping module is docked to thedocking location; and a programming module configured to associateinformation with the information element, wherein the informationcomprises at least one of the set of an integrated pump moduleidentifier, a drug identifier, a patient identifier, and a pumpingparameter.
 22. The filling station of claim 21, wherein the pumpingstation is configured to cause the pumping segment of the integratedpumping module to draw fluid into the fluid reservoir from a source ofmedical fluid connected to the outlet.
 23. The filling station of claim21, wherein the information element comprises an identifier and theprogramming module is configured to write information to a database andassociate the information in the database with the identifier.
 24. Thefilling station of claim 21, wherein the information element comprises awritable memory device and the programming module is configured to writeinformation into the memory device.
 25. The filling station of claim 21,further comprising: a network module configured to communicate with anexternal system over a communication network; a processor coupled to thenetwork module and the programming module, the processor configured toreceive prescriptions from the external system and configure the fillingstation to transfer fluids according to the prescription; and whereinthe set of information further comprises a prescription identifier and aprescriber identifier.
 26. The filling station of claim 25, furthercomprising: a display coupled to the processor; and a data entry devicecoupled to the processor; wherein the processor is further configuredto: retrieve a list of prescriptions from the external system; presentthe list of prescriptions on the display; accept a selection of one ofthe prescriptions from the data entry device; and request theprescription from the external system.
 27. The filling station of claim26, wherein the processor is further configured to present instructionson the display comprising an identification of at least one medicalfluid to be provided at the at least one inlet connection.
 28. Thefilling station of claim 27, wherein the processor is further configuredto receive a plurality of prescriptions from the external system andpresent a list of the plurality of received prescriptions.
 29. A methodof delivering a medical fluid to a patient, the method comprising thesteps of: placing an integrated pump module having a fluid reservoirwith an outlet and a memory in a docking location of a filling station;connecting a source of medical fluid to the outlet of the fluidreservoir; pumping a selected amount of medical fluid from the sourceinto the fluid reservoir; removing the integrated pump module from thefilling station; coupling the integrated pump module to an IV pump thatis configured to accept the integrated pump module; and activating theIV pump to deliver the medical fluid from the fluid reservoir to thepatient.
 30. The method of claim 29, wherein the step of pumpingcomprises a pumping mechanism of the filling station causing a pumpingsegment that is coupled between the fluid reservoir and the outlet torun backwards, thereby drawing fluid from the fluid source and pumpingthe medical fluid into the fluid reservoir.
 31. The method of claim 29,further comprising the steps of: storing information in the memory,wherein the information comprises at least one of the set of a drugidentifier, a patient identifier, and a pumping parameter associatedwith delivery of the medical fluid to the patient; and transferring theinformation from the memory of the integrated pump module to the IVpump.
 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising the steps of:configuring the IV pump according to the information transferred fromthe memory of the integrated pump module.
 33. The method of claim 31,further comprising the steps of accepting from a data input device anidentification of a patient to whom it is intended to deliver themedical fluid of the integrated pump module; verifying that the patientidentification accepted from the data input device matches the patientidentifier transferred from the memory of the integrated pump module.34. The method of claim 29, further comprising the steps of: receiving alist of prescriptions from an external system, the prescriptionscomprising a patient identification, an identification of at least onemedical fluid, and an amount of the at least one medical fluid;presenting the list of prescriptions on a display; accepting a selectionfrom a data input device of one of the prescriptions of the presentedlist; receiving the selected prescription from the external system; andconfiguring the filling station to pump a selected amount of the medicalfluid from the source into the fluid reservoir according to the selectedprescription.
 35. The method of claim 34, further comprising the stepsof: receiving a plurality of prescriptions from the external system; andpresenting a list of the plurality of received prescriptions.
 36. Themethod of claim 34, further comprising the steps of: displayinginstructions comprising an identification of at least one medical fluidto be provided at an inlet connection of the filling station; andconnecting a source of the identified medical fluid to the inletconnection.